pulled by the tide (and falling for you)
by thelittlefanpire
Summary: After a huge storm, two unlikely companions set out to uncover the lost treasure of a legendary shipwreck. They both have secret motives for the hunt, but the day trip will bring them closer together in unexpected ways.


**Written for the Round 3: Modernized Canon of the Chopped: The 100 Fanfic Challenge. Tropes this Round were Magic AU + Hard Cuts + Secret Places + Sex Pollen. ****And Bonus for the use of Halloween and Smut and Unique Pairings. I managed to hit a third of that extra stuff and the magic is pretty light in this AU tropes were diff-i-cult, but so much fun to write! I hope you enjoy my modern take on the Bellarke Day Trip!**

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Bellamy Blake always arrived to work at precisely five forty-five in the morning, come hail or high water.

The sun was peeking out from her nocturnal spot under the horizon now, when Bellamy's boat reached the docks, lighting up the gray sky with a soft pink-orange glow. Angry thunderheads rumbled in the distance, rolling away, leaving the dock slick from the previous night's storm. It was the thick of summer, making it the start of the wettest time of the year. The ocean was calm, though. Small ripples slapped at the edge of the dock as Bellamy stepped off his boat. He grabbed his gear for the day and watched the sunrise as he made his way to the shore.

A pod of dolphins caught his eye while he was watching the horizon. Under the sapphire sea, they swam together, diving under and jumping over each other, in synchronization. It looked to be a group of about five or six, not very many. They kept close to the shore and circled back to where he was walking. Their pattern made Bellamy realize that it must have been a new pod in the water and that one of their members was inside.

He looked up at the Arkadia Marine Life Preserve and Conservation building where he worked. The Ark was a sanctuary for all kinds of marine animals and vegetation. Whales, dolphins, schools of fish and sea turtles were protected in the warm waters surrounding the island. Undisturbed beaches and clean water  
were a safe haven for those animals, along with birds, sand dunes, and coral reefs. There was no fishing and no hunting in a twenty-five-mile radius. Animals were tagged and tracked inside at the Ark's monitoring center.

Not only was the Ark a sanctuary, but a hub for rehabilitation. Bellamy sat his scuba gear down at his first tank. His job was to keep the place clean, he was no more than a glorified janitor for shark tanks and chum buckets. But the job had its perks. The tank held a calf, probably a baby of one of the dolphins outside. She swam at the bottom of the tank, slow and languid. As she got closer, he could make out the red sores on her fins. Burns from pollution, most likely. He held his hand up to the glass and looked into the dolphin's eyes. This was a place of healing for more than just sea life.

His eyes drifted beyond the dolphin in front of him through the saltwater to the other side of the tank. A figure was moving toward him. A petite brunette came into view and he smiled.

"Morning, O. I was wondering why you didn't come home last night," he greeted his little sister, tugging at her hair and pulling her in for a quick hug. She leaned into him and sighed.

"They brought her in last night. Oil spill near the main island," Octavia told him. Her voice was still thick with sleep and Bellamy figured she had slept curled up by the dolphin's tank all night. He looked down at her taking in the dark circles under her eyes and rumbled clothes. She was too young to look so haggardly.

They had moved to the islands two years ago, needing to get out of the States and searching for a fresh start. They landed in the South Pacific where the chain of tiny islands floated. Bellamy started off as a Diving Instructor at a resort before landing the job at the Ark. And once school was let out for the summer, it was impossible to get Octavia away from the place. She spent all her free time volunteering with their educational program and acting as a tour guide. She fell in love with the animals; the sea turtles who hatched on the beach, the orcas who migrated to give birth here, and the seals who sunbathed on the docks. It was hard work, but he hadn't seen his sister this happy in a long time.

"I'm going to find some coffee. You want any?" he asked her. Octavia shook her head and went back to tending to the calf. "Can you try to catch a ride home with Monty and Jasper this afternoon? I'm not sure where I'll be."

He didn't wait for her to respond but headed up to the break room on the third floor. The Ark was quiet this early in the morning before all the scientists and veterinarians arrived at work.

As he turned on the coffee machine, he heard low voices coming from the room over. He popped his head into the conference area and found Dr. Griffin on a call with what looked like the Board of Directors for the Arkadia Marine Life Preserve. The blonde was facing away from him and didn't notice that he was there, but he could see the faces of the men and women who made up the Board on the screen in their offices on the East Coast.

"How's the Preserve looking?" an older man in the center of the screen asked her. Bellamy recognized him as Thelonious Jaha, president of the company that funded the Ark. Dr. Griffin sorted through the paperwork on the table before her.

"We've been doing everything we can here. We're working with the local fishermen to provide enough food for the animals. But the truth is, some of them will die from their wounds before they starve. We need medicine down here as soon as possible," she explained to him. She chewed on the cap of a pen as she waited for his response after a lag in the video.

"You need more funds," Jaha said somberly but didn't elaborate. Dr. Griffin threw her pen down in frustration when he didn't offer a solution. The other members of the board were static as well.

"How are we supposed to do that?" she almost shouted and Bellamy stepped away from the door to go back to his coffee. It wasn't his business how things were running around here, but he could still hear parts of the conversation as it drifted into the break room behind him.

"Clarke, we are all very proud of what you've done down there...but your mother…"

"I don't want to talk about my mother," she cut him off quickly, wrapped up the conference call, and said her goodbyes. Bellamy shifted through the fridge looking for creamer to busy himself when she came into the room.

Dr. Clarke Griffin was the lead marine biologist at the Ark now. She had taken over after her father passed away last fall. Bellamy usually kept his distance from the woman. They had an unfriendly tension between them that started after Clarke had dropped a tracking device in the open water rehabilitation tank. Bellamy spent a whole week digging through the sand and sifting marine waste, only for it to mysteriously pop up in the octopus tank.

Although it wasn't intentional on her part, it had made him irrationally irritated whenever he saw her wide blue eyes looking his way from across a tank or when she tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, like she was doing now.

"Morning, Blake," she spoke quietly, avoiding getting too close to him, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She set the pot down and stepped away from the counter quickly, reaching up on her tiptoes to turn on the television.

He grumbled a greeting towards her and sat down at a table across the room. He stirred a little sugar into his cup and watched the steam rise until the news on the screen caught his attention.

"The series of typhoons over the last few days has stirred up the oceans in the South Pacific. We're looking at a shift in sands that could uncover a hoard of shipwrecks at the bottom of the ocean floor. Back to you, Steve," the weather girl said.

"Thank you, Linda. Sounds like a good time to grab your fins and see if you can find some buried treasure," Steve, the news reporter, joked and they turned back to the ten-day forecast. Bellamy guffawed at the audacity that the man thought it could be that easy.

"What?" Clarke asked. She was looking at him peculiarly as she leaned against the counter. He wanted to roll his eyes at the wheels that appeared to be turning in her head now.

"There are millions of shipwrecks with wealth worth probably over sixty billion dollars in all the oceans combined. The chances of finding one of those?" he paused and stood up throwing his now empty cup away. "Nearly impossible. We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about what's at the bottom of the ocean, Princess."

The nickname slipped out before he could catch himself. He usually reserved the name-calling for when he was at the bar with Raven and Miller, complaining about his favorite person over a couple of drinks at the end of the week. But her naivety irked him. Since he had first met her, she came off as a spoiled rich girl who was just playing dress up in Daddy's shoes. He grimaced an insincere apology at her and she waved him off. He headed toward the door knowing it was past time for him to get to work.

"What if you knew where to look?" she said pushing off the counter making Bellamy stop in his tracks. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she spoke again.

"Polaris…"

"...is just a legend," Bellamy cut her off. He didn't turn around to see the curiosity in her ice-blue eyes staring at the back of his head. He didn't hang around to hear her arguments for a wild goose chase on the high seas that could cost them everything. He just went to the docks at the back of the Ark and surveyed the damage done by the typhoons. He was going to need supplies.

"Headed to the mainland," he radioed Octavia and headed back to his boat.

Clarke was waiting for him.

"Bellamy…" She stood up from her spot against the railing, but he pushed right past her and ignored the casual use of his first name that fell so easily from her lips.

"The answer is still no, Dr. Griffin. I'm not entertaining any ideas about treasure hunting."

"Hey, relax. That's not why I'm here," she said and he squinted at the bright blue water behind her, then pinched the bridge of his nose before asking her what was up.

"The Ark has some old records that talk about a shop on the mainland that has this miracle medicine to heal anything."

"Yeah? I think I've heard of a place like that. What do you need it for?" he asked her and then untied the boat from the dock. Clarke followed him into the vessel and continued talking.

"The animals that were brought in last night have more than just pollution burns on them. It's radiation. And they'll all die if we don't do something about it. I need a ride."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, because right now, I don't feel like being around anyone I actually like."

Bellamy looked down and huffed with a smirk.

"I can give you a ride, doc if you promise not to bring up Polaris again." His smirk turned into a full-blown smile when his eyes met hers. She had zipped up her mouth with an imaginary zipper, threw away the key into the ocean, and sat down at the bow of the ship.

"I promise. And you can call me Clarke, by the way!"

It was easy for her not to say anything as they rode to the mainland, with the wind whipping around her head wildly, it blew her hair across her face. But Bellamy's mind was sailing faster than the boat at the thought of treasure. Now that she had mentioned it, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

His eyes searched the clear blue sea for signs of wreckage or salvage. Every clump of seaweed or school of fish could be hiding a hoard of treasure that had been stirred up from the storms. It wasn't unheard of and happened all the time. Large shipwrecks had been discovered off the coast of Maine and Portugal in recent years.

The legend along the islands here was of a famous pirate ship called Polaris and her commander, Becca Franko. Many of the locals called her Bekka Pramheda. The ship was run aground over 200 years ago after the Spanish had chased the commander across the seven seas. The ship was said to have held over ten tons of gold that was plundered from all over Europe.

The ship was never found, though, and Bekka Pramhedawas never caught.

Bellamy's boat passed the barrier for the Ark's protected waters and shot out into the open ocean. The waves were choppier here and he watched Clarke lift up off her seat a fraction. He smirked at her surprised squeal and looked away quickly when she looked back at him with narrowed eyes. He eventually slowed down when he could see the bigger islands in the distance. As they approached the main one, little spots along the shore came into focus and Bellamy could tell that the island was packed.

"Everyone wants a piece of it," he called out and slowed the boat down circling around to the marina. Clarke caught on to what he was referring to when she saw all the people on the shore with metal detectors and so many scuba divers in the water, with their noses glued to the ground, Bellamy could barely maneuver the boat around.

"Half the islands are without power after those storms," Clarke supplied back to him. There had been non-stop rain for the last few days from typhoons, and strong winds that had left the islands in limbo. But today the sky was beautiful, a bright blue with not a cloud in sight, it reflected over the turquoise sea. And it coaxed everyone outside to explore.

Bellamy could see right down to the sandy bottom where crabs crawled and fish glided by as he parked the boat in the marina. A yacht passed them so he waved at the captain and the gaggle of toned, bronzed bodies with snorkels on their heads and excavators in their hands.

"Amateurs...searching for that gold," Bellamy said looking back at Clarke.

"If you know where to look…" she said in a sing-song voice and he rolled her eyes at her.

Once the boat was secure he led Clarke to the center of the island. Bellamy wondered if he had forgotten about some festival that was happening because the island was seriously packed. They weaved in and out of the crowds. The aroma of meat wafted from the street vendors and music blasted from the horns of performers along the sidewalks.

"I love this place!" He heard Clarke's voice behind him and he glanced back to see her eyelids crinkling up around her blue eyes in delight. He had to agree, the islands were something special. His hand grazed hers as he turned down side streets and he felt a jolt of electricity. The air crackled between them and he pulled away from her when he found what they were looking for.

"Here it is," Bellamy said and stopped short in front of the tindahan. The shop was at the end of an alley, obscured from the view of the main strip. Only locals and those who knew what to look for could find this place. The shop didn't have a storefront or clear windows to peer into, but the two old men that sat on either side of the door guarding the place made it distinguishable.

Bellamy had heard about it when he first worked at the resort. He was wanting to increase his freedive time and a friend had suggested the Filipino apothecary for some "recreational inhalation medicine". The concoction had worked. Bellamy didn't dive without it now.

"Hey, be careful in there. The bruha can be a hard bargainer," he told Clarke as he leaned against the wall beside one of the old men that were seated outside. He didn't have time to catch Clarke's reaction before the chime over the door sounded and she slipped inside. He wasn't too worried about her, for all her faults, the princess was pretty badass. She did a decent job running the Ark and he had seen her haggling with the fishermen. She could hold her own even if he would never admit it out loud.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the midday sun warm his freckled cheeks, and felt himself began to doze off. It could have been a minute or an hour that passed when he woke with a start. His heart was beating frantically. He didn't move off the wall or look around, but he felt someone's eyes on him.

"Magnanakaw," the old man whispered after a few moments. Bellamy looked down at his weathered face, the gray of his beard sprinkled like salt and pepper over leather. Bellamy had to wrack his brain to remember the Tagalog words his mother had taught him as a child.

He patted his pockets when he realized the old man meant 'thief' and that someone must have walked by while Bellamy was dozing. He didn't have anything on him for someone to steal, but he pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of his swim trunks. He looked around in confusion but saw nothing or no one in the cobbled alleyway.

Shumay says it's time to pay up

The words were smudged, but the message was clear. Bellamy looked around again, the rushing of his blood running cold in his ears, and pushed off the wall hurrying into the apothecary.

"Hey, where's the fire? I was just heading out, Blake," Clarke's small figure met him at the door. He put both hands on her shoulders and guided her to a bench by the window. She half-protested but sat down easily. His mind was racing again, calculating, and turning the words on the page over and over again.

He didn't need Dr. Clarke Griffin to worry about him, though, but he did need a plan. Fast.

"You still want to go after that treasure?" he spoke quietly and her eyes snapped up to his. The shift in the air was palpable. She nodded.

"I'll be right back then."

The tindahan looked like any other pharmacy on the island, at first look, with rows of over-the-counter prescriptions, hygiene products, toiletries, vitamins, and touristy trinkets. It was the second look where you saw the homemade elixirs in glass vials, handmade dolls, strange oils, herbs, and incense on certain shelves throughout the store. Bellamy touched a talisman of gold that was hanging from a display.

The bruha was eyeing him behind the cash register. He called her a witch because she certainly looked like what he imagined one would look like if they dabbled in the practice of magic. Her face was scrunched together, her mouth sitting farther left than her thin nose, and her eyes bugged out slightly. Her long silver hair hung down covering her sharp cheekbones. And she wore all black even in the hot shop.

And he was definitely sure the things she sold him were magic.

"The usual. Two of everything," he said and pointed to a painting behind her. The Polaris shimmered in the watercolor ocean, almost appearing to sail right off the canvas. The painter had depicted it as a magnificent ship with dark mahogany and black sails. The bruha smiled, her mouth straightened into a line, and she moved slowly reaching under the counter for what Bellamy asked for. Looking back at the gold talisman, he wondered if he should ask for a protection spell to be placed on any of his items, but they had never failed him before.

The woman had never given him a hard time but recognized him as a kindred Pinoy. It's why he loved the islands here. It reminded him of his mother and his childhood. He had stopped in the Philippines with Octavia when they left the States, but there weren't as many opportunities for them there as there were here on the islands.

He glanced around the apothecary feeling the energy crackling from the other side of the counter. The windows shook slightly and the walls vibrated. He gripped the counter and stole a look at the witch. She was transforming objects before him, mixing concoctions quickly, and mumbling spells under her breath.

"Salamat," he thanked her and took the brown bag from her outstretched arms. She smiled again, not one for many words, and went back to her spot behind the counter.

"Give me your bag," Bellamy commanded Clarke when they were back outside. The sun was bright and hot, he felt his shirt sticking to his back and his hair curling up at the nape of his neck. He noticed everyone now, a shadowy figure by the trash cans, a group of men chatting at the entrance to the alley, and a woman begging on the ground. He hurried back toward the crowded streets.

"You changed your mind about the treasure?" Clarke prompted, trying to keep up behind him, and handed over her backpack when he stopped. Bellamy unzipped it and pulled out a tiny vial of red liquid.

"You think this is going to heal all the animals at the Ark?"

"No," Clarke rose up on her tiptoes and swiped the medicine from him. "She wouldn't give me anymore. It's probably essential oils or poison beetle juice. Probably won't even work on them."

"Probably. Do you need to head back to the Ark now? Or can it wait?" Bellamy asked her and began dumping the contents of his bag into her pack.

"No. That's a lot of...whatever that is. You realize this is a treasure excursion, not a picnic on a day trip, right?"

"A lot can happen in a day!" Bellamy zipped up the bag and threw it onto his shoulders pulling the straps tight. He ran a hand through his curls and looked around.

"So if you knew where to look…" Bellamy trailed off and led them to the line of waiting cabs at the curb in front of them.

"There was this drawing in my dad's things at the Ark with the note about the medicine," Clarke said, looking off in the distance as she spoke. She handed him a folded piece of paper. He took it and then signaled to a cab driver.

As the car pulled up, they scooted inside, and Bellamy unfolded the drawing. Clarke slid over to the middle seat beside him and they held the paper between them. It was a map of one of the islands, but Bellamy knew it wasn't really an island. It was a formation of rocks that looked like a fleet of ships. The shipwreck of Polaris was rumored to lie in the shallow waters around the rocks, but over time the depths had grown exponentially and no one had been able to recover anything there.

"You saw the beach. Everyone is going to be out there," Bellamy sighed and handed Clarke back the paper. He felt the weight of his mysterious note in his pocket. The islands were packed with visitors and tourists on a good day, it would be even crazier on a day like today.

"It's high tide. There might be some boats but no one in the water," Clarke spoke lowly. The cab driver was waiting for instructions on where to go and Clarke was waiting for Bellamy to decide.

"Drop us off near the rocks," he resolved.

The warm breeze swirled around them when they stepped out of the cab half an hour later. It had taken them that long to get to the other side of the island, across the bridge, and dropped off at the cliffs that overlooked the sight of the supposed shipwreck. Bellamy paid the cab driver the fare and exchanged a childish look with Clarke, echoing 'I told you so's'. He was surprised she didn't stick her tongue out at him. The water was packed with boats, but no one was swimming in the water unless they had on scuba gear. The south side of the rock formations appeared to be completely empty. They both had to be crazy for even considering going out there.

But the rocks looked exactly like the outline of a ship. Millions of dollars worth of gold could be in their eyesight right now below the water.

Bellamy slipped under the chain that blocked them from stepping too close to the edge. The red dirt under his foot crumbled away falling down the cliffside into the waves below. He walked down the side until the cliff jutted out into the water. Waves slapped at the beaten rocks below. Seagulls cawed overhead. Bellamy looked out to the fleet of rocks.

"We're looking at a twenty-meter jump...a klick and a half swim...give or take," Bellamy explained and squinted against the sharp sun. "Maybe two klicks."

He started removing the backpack and his t-shirt, kicking off his shoes and then jumped up and down a few times. He grabbed a jar from the bag the bruha had given him. The wind was warm, but he knew the water would be freezing. He rubbed a salve all over his upper body.

"What are you...wait, what…" Clarke sputtered watching him carefully. Her eyes were wide and she clutched at her stomach. He peered over the edge again and he shrugged at her.

He jumped off the cliff, his legs and spine straight like a pencil, without any preamble. His body lifted up in the air for a split second before gravity pulled him down to the aquamarine expanse. His stomach flipped up into his chest and then he hit the water. He barely made a splash when he went under.

"Whoop! Are you coming in or what, Princess?" he yelled up to her when he came up for air.

"You expect me to jump in from right here?!"

She jumped. Bellamy blinked and Clarke was hurtling straight towards him. He dived down into the water to get out of her way. He felt the force of her splash, not a clean of a dive as his, and swam up to meet her.

"You good?" he asked her. They were treading water close to the cliffs and the waves were relentless. He went under and came back up. Clarke was starting to shake.

"I can't believe we just did that. How are you not dying without a wetsuit?" she questioned him, her teeth chattering. Bellamy swam closer to her until he could see the electric blue of her bikini and the goosebumps along her milky skin through the water.

"Warming salve! I thought you had a wetsuit!"

"I left it up top." Clarke tried to point towards the cliffs but they were being pummeled with the salty surf now. Bellamy dived down under a wave and swam out towards the rocks. Thankfully, Clarke followed him without much fuss.

A few meters from the cliffs, the ocean calmed down and Bellamy was able to stay upright. He pulled Clarke's backpack off his back and tossed her the warming salve.

"Do you have goggles or air compressors in that magic bag of mine?" Clarke joked taking the salve from him with shaky fingers. He couldn't tell if the storm had shifted any sand yet, but it definitely brought in colder waters. His toes were numb. He watched Clarke rub the warming salve over her arms.

"I've got eye drops to help you see through the saltwater without your eyes burning. And a jobi nut tea to give you energy. I think we can make it to the rocks before we use anything else. You game?" Bellamy knew Clarke had taken lessons from his friend, Murphy. She was a good swimmer. They took off when their eyes adjusted to the drops. Their eyesight was as clear underwater as if they were using goggles.

They glided through the water, breaststrokes all the way across the two kilometers to the rocks. Clarke was neck-and-neck with him the whole way. A competition to see who could get there first spurred on by the jobi nuts. He beat her by a fingertip.

In the high tide around the rocks, the water was still. Bellamy could see all the way to the bottom. Barnacles and sea urchins resided in the deep tide pools that would be revealed during the lower tide later that evening. Colorful fish were nestled in the seabed, a tiger shark lurked in the shadows behind the coral reef, and a starfish was clinging to the back of a sea turtle.

Bellamy and Clarke swam at the top searching down below for any signs of a shipwreck. The ocean floor was clear and beautiful. Bellamy had never seen anything more beautiful than the waters of the South Pacific. He dived deeper letting his natural dive reflex kick in. He had to resist the urge to exhale, holding his breath by keeping a steady handle on his surroundings as he counted slowly in his head. His diaphragm restricted and he kicked harder. A glint in the sand caught his eye but after a double count of ninety, it was time to return to the surface.

He broke the water taking in a big breath and exhaled freely.

"I think I saw something. Help me with this," Bellamy said and they held the backpack between them.

"How are we going to find anything without supplies?"

"We have plenty of supplies. Are you feeling warmer?"

Most treasure excursions had a crew of at least ten, with a boat and shifters and remotely operated vehicles. Bellamy had none of that in his bag of tricks. But he did have an herb that would help them swim down and stay under the water for up to twenty minutes. It calmed the nervous system and relaxed the diaphragm letting them hold their breath longer. He broke a piece in half and handed it to Clarke.

He also had an enchanted rope to tie to the bag that dropped like an anchor to the seafloor that would help pull them back up. The bubble mask was the hardest thing to explain to her.

"Okay, so this is kind of like a face mask. It won't work above the water but when you go under and it's fully submerged we should be able to talk to each other."

"You've done this all before?" Clarke said and eyed the mask skeptically.

"Just to freedive. I've never had the guts to go seeking treasure before."

"What changed your mind?"

"Same as you."

He passed her a few more enchanted objects and met her gaze. There was an unspoken understanding between them. They both weren't being completely honest on their motives for this crazy expedition. It was a fool's chance that they would even find anything. But they had to try, for their silent motivation.

"Ready?" he asked her. Clarke placed the mask over her mouth and dived down. Bellamy followed her.

They swam down to the bottom of the ocean. It wasn't too deep, the sun's rays still reached them lighting up the sea in a kaleidoscope of blues. The sand had shifted, Bellamy could see it now. Large drifts were piled up or indented, carving out a trail through the sand. He pointed it out to Clarke and they kicked down the path.

Clarke brushed her hand along the grains stirring up the sand like a sifter. Crabs scuttled over the pebbles that were increasing in size as they came closer to the fleet formation. Large clumps of seagrass entwined the rocks, coating them in green and muddy brown.

Bellamy dived closer running his hand on the splintered carvings.

"I think I got something, Clarke," his garbled voice vibrated in the water. Clarke floated back to him. "What does this look like?"

"Wood," Clarke vibrated back. Her eyes lit up and she reached out thumping the rock. It thumped back. It wasn't a rock but wood. They had found a shipwreck.

Bellamy pushed off from it shooting back up so he could get a good look from above. Suspended a few feet off the seafloor he could make out the salvage of a ship. It was in pieces, sunken into the sand, rising up entwined with the rocks, or beaten away altogether, but the skeleton was there.

"Do you see any treasure?" Clarke's voice rang out and they searched quickly through the rubble. They searched until the herb dissolved from their system, forcing them up, and then they searched again. There were no signs of anything. Bellamy couldn't even be certain that this was Polaris.

He sunk down to the bottom of the ocean, laying down in the sand, and stared up at the sky above. What was he going to do now?

"Bellamy. Over here. I found something," Clarke brushed past him and he watched her swim towards the large mounds of rocks. "Do you see the current?"

At the base of the rocks, the water was rushing straight to it and then disappearing altogether.

"There has to be a cave under there," he figured. The excitement started to build in the pit of his stomach. He didn't put much more thought into the strange occurrence but dived down. It was dark and soundless. He swam and swam until he broke free. He came up smack dab in the middle of a secret cave, hollowed out by the wind and waves. They could fit two of the killer whales from the Ark in here.

Bellamy pulled off his mask and sucked in the sweet-salty air. As much as he loved being underwater, and the feeling of flying, he liked being able to breathe more. Clarke surfaced next and he helped her climb out of the pool they were in onto the slick cave floor.

"It'd be impossible to get in here without knowing it was here first," Clarke stated looking around the cave in awe. "Hello!" her voice echoed off the dome ceiling of the cave.

"This is amazing!" She laughed and it carried on the wind that blew in from a space in the rocks that was shaped like a window.

"Excited about a hollowed-out rock?" Bellamy said bitterly.

"Well, it's something."

"How about a chest of gold or a better treasure map or fucking Bekka Pramheda herself?" he huffed and kicked at a stalagmite in frustration. The salt deposits crumbled under the force and a tinkling sound reverberated around the cave.

Bellamy looked down to see gold spilling out of the broken stalagmite. He stood up and kicked another one. More gold and rubies came tumbling out. He smiled up at Clarke in triumphant.

"The treasure of Polaris has been sitting in this cave the whole time. The commander and her crew must have hidden it here and run the ship aground to make it look like it was lost." Bellamy was thrumming with excitement as they sorted through the treasure. Clarke sat down on the floor to count the gold coins and bars.

"This will change everything."

"This will save the Ark," Clarke beamed up at him. He was happy for her. The way her face lit up throughout their day together. He hadn't seen her look this happy in all the time he'd known her. She always carried the weight of responsibility for the Ark, the pressure from the Board, and in turn her father's legacy on her shoulders.

He picked up a small crown of rubies from a chest and placed it atop her head. It fit perfectly.

"Perfect for a princess," he whispered and tucked a piece of hanging wet hair behind her ear. Her eyes were wide and her mouth partly opened in surprise at the gesture. Bellamy was suddenly thrown by the intimacy and he stepped back clearing his throat. "I can help you carry the first chest up. You think the government will let you keep any of this?"

"They should let the Ark have at least ten percent. It would be enough to keep the place afloat. But wait, what's going on? You've been acting weird all day. All the enchantments you took. You're gonna run. That's why you agreed to come with me. You were gonna load up on the treasure and just disappear."

"I don't have a choice. I made some bad decisions that got me here and now they're catching up with me."

"So you're just going to leave Octavia?" He couldn't look Clarke in the eye. He put the leftover enchantments into his swim trunk pockets. He picked up fistfuls of coins stuffing them in until they filled up the backpack. Clarke was part of the hiring committee, she knew his past wasn't spotless.

"Octavia doesn't need me now. She'll be fine. Come on, the tide will be going out and I don't want to get stuck in here."

The chest was heavy, so Bellamy waded into the pool first. He stuck his head underwater to blow up the masks and stuck them on the corners of the chest. It didn't automatically sink but it was easier to handle. Clarke was silent as she climbed in. They took the herbs, drank the tea, slathered on more salve, and slipped under the dark water. Bellamy kept his eyes closed and felt along the wall curving down and out into the open water.

The current was flowing the opposite way now and it pulled the chest right out of Bellamy's hands. It sunk landing on top of the shipwreck and hit a bed of seagrass. The gold coins spilled out onto the ocean floor and slipped under the sea meadow. Tiny spurs of pollen were shaken loose and flowed up to Bellamy and Clarke.

They went after the chest but the pollen surrounded them. Bellamy swatted at the spurs but it was too late. He felt a tickle in his nostrils and then the sneeze building in his throat. The force of it broke his mask. He quickly gulped in the last bit of air before it escaped.

His chest suddenly felt like it was on fire. The warming salve tingled along his forearms, and his toes still felt numb from the cold ocean. He could feel every molecule of water embracing him, making every nerve ending in his body stand on edge.

He looked around wildly for Clarke, the treasure momentarily forgotten. The underwater world came into sharp focus. He noticed even more than before on his dive down. The sheer abundance of life and energy was so overwhelming he couldn't concentrate on anything for very long.

Clarke was ascending up to the surface above him, frantically kicking with all her might. It was obscene the way her bathing suit bottom was riding up between her cheeks. Bellamy had to shake that thought from his mind and pulled his body up the rope after her.

"Are you okay?" he sputtered when he broke the surface. Clarke was dragging in oxygen, her chest heaving heavily. It stretched the electric blue bikini tightly across her body. Bellamy reached out and placed his hand on her chest, above her sternum. "You're okay. Just breathe."

She was in slight shock, but when her eyes flicked down to his chest, he noticed he was heaving as well. His fingertips burned on her skin, but he didn't want to let go. Something was pulling him towards her.

He kicked closer, letting his hand fall to her waist, and hooked a leg in between hers. They were nose to nose bobbing in the middle of the ocean.

"What's happening?" Clarke whispered. Her blue eyes were a perfect reflection of the sea, shining brighter than sapphires until her pupils dilated and her lips parted slightly when she looked up at him. She gripped his forearms tightly and squeezed her thighs causing Bellamy's hip to meet her core.

"I think we ingested something down there," Bellamy gritted out. He was afraid to move. Everything in his body was screaming at him. The half hard-on that made his hips want to buck, his hands that wanted to go back to the heat at her chest, and the mere sight of her that made his mouth water. He was overcome with desire for Clarke Griffin.

It wasn't something he usually had a problem with. The hostility between them made the tension more surly than sexual. But something had stripped it all away leaving the raw attraction bubbling at the surface of their skin. The closer he got, the more he couldn't get enough.

He pushed her away from him with all his might, dipping down under the water, and tried to clear his head. But it was clouded with the seagrass pollen. The bruha sold love potions at the tindahan to unsuspecting tourists and Bellamy had seen the effects of those before from one of Miller's hookups. But this was something different. Something stronger. He wondered if this was BekkaPramheda's last defense at protecting her treasure.

He was only under for a moment and then someone was pulling him back up to the surface. Clarke's lips met his exhaling sweet salty air into his lungs. He took the breath from her gladly. They traded air and then slipped under the water together.

The backpack floated by his peripherals, but he reached for his pockets, pulling away from Clarke to dig out the herbs and the mask. He fused two together and they bubbled up creating enough room for them both to breathe in the same space.

"I don't know if we can resist...whatever this is!" Bellamy said. His voice was distorted through the bubble and it sounded like a humming sound to his ears. But Clarke could make out his words. She nodded and hummed back to him.

"It's okay. I'm tired, Bellamy. I'm trying all the time. And everyone is counting on me, and it's so hard. Please, just give me this one relief," she begged. Bellamy instantly knew she wasn't just talking about the desire, but the weight on her shoulders. The position she held herself to at the Ark, in her father's memory. The impossible standard and responsibility. He wanted to comfort her more than anything.

"You're doing the best you can. But I'm not a good man," he explained. He wanted to give them an out. As much as his body wanted it and as much as hers seemed to want it, too, he wasn't sure how much more had been there inside them all along.

"I don't need you to be."

They were balanced on the edge of a precipice, a tip in the wrong direction would send them sinking to the depths or they could just let the tide pull them along.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

An understanding and confirmation passed between them. Staring into each other's eyes, they were okay with what was bound to transpire.

Clarke reached for his hand and pulled it back to her chest. She squeezed and he felt her breast through the thin material of her bikini. She let go and let him explore. He kicked closer to her and slipped his other hand under her bikini. He glided over soft warm flesh and met her bare breasts. Clarke hummed a moan and it went straight to his groin. He caressed her there, slipping her breasts out of her top to expose them to the cool water. Her nipples were taunt and pebbled. And then he trailed his fingers down her abdomen.

"Don't stop," Clarke panted out. "I need you."

Bellamy felt himself grow harder at her words. All the reasons he should stop, going down the drain the farther his hand went south. He reached the hem of her bathing suit and slipped in, gliding over the smooth skin to her center. The tension in her body went slack and she drifted with the current. He caught her, pushing them back together by hooking his leg around her again.

He slipped a finger inside of her. Then another.

"Is this what you need?" Bellamy asked his voice rough like he had swallowed too much saltwater. Clarke just moaned.

"Tell me."

"Fuck me," Clarke breathed out. Bellamy circled her clit and slipped his fingers back inside. He was met with a little resistance. The water wasn't helping their situation in that moment. He told Clarke to turn around and grinded into her backside. She arched her back to him.

He let go of her and caught the backpack that was drifting near them. There was a gel used for sealing scuba gaskets that he had noticed briefly before in her bag. He took it out and rubbed some on his fingers and then reached back down between her legs to slick up her folds.

He could hear the water rushing in his ears, tiny bubbles popping, and Clarke's uneven breathing.

Fuck me, he thought.

Bellamy looked down at the woman before him. She was all curves and pink skin. He broke out of the mask, twirled her around to face him, and dove down keeping his lips attached to her skin. He didn't touch her lips, but her collarbone, her ribcage, right below her belly button, and her inner thigh. Teasing her in all the right places.

She writhed under him. Once she was finally over teased, she pulled down his suit and grabbed hold of his erection. She began pumping slowly, sliding her thumb over the top of him. It was the most delicious pressure under the water. Her hands concentrated on her work while his soothed her burning skin.

She pulled him back up and they fell in line with a wave. It barreled over them and they tumbled under the water. Spinning together, Clarke didn't halt her movements but pulled her bikini to the side and positioned him right up to her entrance. Bellamy grabbed onto her thighs anchoring them together. She was wet and waiting, teasing him now with her movements. A little in and a little out. The wave moved on without them and they floated in the abyss.

"I thought you need something. Are we going to fuck or not?" He smirked up at her. The anticipation was killing him. His whole body ached. Clarke's hair was loose around her face like a golden halo with the sunlight reflecting behind her. She smirked back.

Wasting no more time, Clarke sank heavily onto him, giving neither one of them time to adjust. She was full and he was engulfed. It was pure bliss and Bellamy swore he could see stars for a moment.

The need was strong in both of them now as Clarke moved up and down. He let her set the pace and take what she needed by keeping his hands gently on her hips. He watched her breast's bounce slowly in the weightless water. Until her hips swiveled and his stomach clenched, he gripped one hip tightly, like a vice, and the other reached for her golden locks. He pulled as she circled. And they came undone together. Her head was thrown back in ecstasy as he chased after her wanting to capture her lips again. He kissed her lightly, easily after such roughness.

Shakily, Clarke untangled their bodies as fast as they had been entwined. The high of the pollen and the sex began to wear off and relief washed over their bodies. Their skin finally calming down like the waters around them. They broke through the surf and took in deep breaths. Bellamy's hand still lingered on her hip.

Suddenly, he was jerked away from her or Clarke was jerked away from him. A rip tide or crash of waves broke them apart. Bellamy was thrust under the water, like a force from above him was pressing him down.

He swallowed saltwater and tried to kick back up, but a hand pushed back on his chest keeping him down. He opened his eyes, it wasn't the ocean beating him up, but a man in a mask and a wetsuit. Someone was trying to drown him.

His survival instinct kicked in and he swung his leg through the water kicking the assailant in the face. It was enough for him to climb to the surface. He raked in deep breaths, his lungs burning. A hand grabbed his leg and pulled him back under. He gulped at the air greedily, desperately, before he was submerged again.

The body climbed past him and kicked him farther down. But Bellamy had his breath now. He counted slowly in his head and sunk farther down. The green meadow swayed in the current below and a brilliant shine twinkled like stars in the sand. The treasure.

Bellamy didn't know if someone else was trying to secure Polaris' bounty or if they had run into the wrong person, but now that his mind was clear he couldn't let someone take it.

He kicked back up the surface and found Clarke, to his surprise, wrestling the diver. She had her hands on the face mask and was trying to pull it off. As Bellamy, reached them a wave came crashing down sending them all spinning. He tucked his body in and rolled.

"Nothing personal," the man spoke, his mask had been ripped off in the tumble and Bellamy recognized him as one of Shumway's men when they were back at the top. The three floated perpendicular to one another. Clarke appeared to be okay, and the man was wiping water out of his face.

"Dax!" Clarke exclaimed, recognition lighting up her face too.

"I don't want to kill you, Clarke, but here you are, and Shumway said no witnesses."

"What is he talking about?" she asked Bellamy. He could only see her head bobbing up and down in the water. They needed to get to shallower water.

"Shumway set me up before in the States. I was supposed to shoot Thelonious Jaha but I took the money and ran away." Bellamy laid out his ugly truth. It was a complete coincidence that he had ended up working at the Ark which was overseen by the very man he had been ordered to kill. "How do you know him?"

"He worked at the Ark with my dad."

"We don't have all day, folks." Dax grinned and Bellamy saw the glint of a knife in his hand under the water. He surged toward Bellamy, so he flipped backwards away from him. The knife swung inches from his face as Dax landed on top of him.

"No! Get the hell off him!" Clarke screamed and she dived down. Bellamy lost sight of her in his scuffle with Dax. They fought against each other and the waves, the winds had picked up causing large swells to pulverize them. The saltwater was filling up his lungs and his muscles were getting tired of treading water.

Dax yelped out in pain and Bellamy watched in horror as he dropped right under his fists that were hitting him as hard as he could under the water. Bellamy swam down and watched as Dax's body flew. That was the only way to describe how the rope attached to his ankles was sucking him down into the current under the rocks. A whirlpool had formed and Dax was helpless to break away. Clarke popped up from behind the shipwreck where the anchor had been secured.

She paddled over to him and they watched Dax turn white, he thrashed in the vortex, and then his body went still. Eyes wide open. Bellamy pulled Clarke into his chest and kicked them up.

The sun was beginning to set and it lit up the blue sky in pink-purple light. The tide was going out now so they waded through the water, exhausted from everything, until they saw where the lower tide had uncovered a pebbled beach near the cave. Bellamy crawled toward a piece of driftwood, his body not used to the gravity after so many hours in the water, and leaned back against it. Clarke sat down beside him, her breath ragged.

"You're okay," she assured him.

"No, I'm not. I almost got you killed," Bellamy protested. The guilt of what he did starting to eat at him. Clarke sighed.

"Bellamy…"

"All I do is hurt people."

"Hey, you saved my life. And that treasure is going to save all those animals at the Ark. You did a good thing today," Clarke said and put a hand on his arm. He looked at her smiling up at him, her soft features glowed in the fading sun. Her cheeks were slightly pink from a day in the sun and her hair was curling around her face. He reached out to tuck a piece of it behind her ear.

"You may be a total ass half the time, but I like you. And we need you. The Ark. Octavia. Me. We couldn't run that place without you," she said and took his hand in hers. "I don't want you to leave now."

"I was supposed to kill Jaha," Bellamy said with exasperation. He couldn't hide the truth that he had kept buried for so long. Shumway had promised him money, during a time when Bellamy desperately needed it, when he would do anything to get it. After his mom died.

"But you didn't. You want forgiveness, fine, I'll give it to you. You're forgiven, ok, but you can't run, Bellamy. Come back with me. We'll figure it out together," Clarke's voice was sure. Her watery blue irises pleaded with him to believe her. She was on his side.

"Can we figure it out later?" Bellamy toed at some pebbles that glittered like diamonds against the other rocks. There was a hoard of treasure waiting to be claimed. There was a dead body at the bottom of the ocean. But all that could wait.

"Whenever you're ready," Clarke agreed and laid her head on his shoulder. The ocean flowed, steady and quiet, like Bellamy's heartbeat, a tiny murmur in his ears. He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Clarke's. Staying here wouldn't be so bad with her by his side.


End file.
